quantum

OpenStack's Quantum network service project is an early attempt to define a common, simple abstraction of an OSI Layer 2 network segment. What does that abstraction look like, and how does Quantum allow the networking market to flourish and innovate under such a simple concept?

OpenStack itself is an open-source project that aims to deliver a massively scalable cloud operating system, the software that coordinates how infrastructure (such as servers, networks, and data storage) are delivered to the applications and services that consume that infrastructure. Easily the largest open-source community in this space--others include Eucalyptus and CloudStack--OpenStack consists … Read more

I'm quickly developing a new, quantum theory for tablet computing. Just as it appears that subatomic particles behave differently depending on whether they're being observed, it seems that tablet consumers and sellers start to behave strangely whenever the price for a tablet drops below a hundred dollars, no matter how unappealing the slate was at a higher price only a month ago.

Since HP announced last month that it was discontinuing the TouchPad and other WebOS devices, and dropped the price of the tablet by 80 percent (that put it at $99 for the 16GB model), we've seen pandemonium in stores and at online retailers. We've also seen HP's social-media manager harassed, we've seen civil war among Android developers looking to port to the cheap tablets, and now Lando Calrissian has joined the fray.

Just as any online political argument eventually invokes comparisons to Nazi Germany, under my new theory of touch-screen relativity, any sudden gadget frenzy will continually accelerate until non sequitur "Star Wars" references emerge.… Read more

Can you tell Brian Tong is back on the show? Actually, we're legitimately wondering whether a home-brew electroshock like battery licking could produce video game skill improvements like DARPA is seeing with their electroshock research. No, really. Also, Google shuts down Google Video, President Obama wants a universal login that's not Facebook Connect, and Match.com just got a whole lot more trustworthy. --Molly

In the search for cheap and efficient solar cells, Stanford University researchers are mixing in new ingredients.

Chemical engineering professor Stacey Bent on Sunday presented the results of a paper at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science that showed how a new combination of materials boosted the performance of solar cells made with quantum dots.

The research is in very early stages, but it could provide clues on how to make solar cells with relatively inexpensive materials that have higher efficiency than is currently possible.

Many researchers are trying to use materials with quantum dots … Read more

The LG Quantum, the last of three Windows Phone 7 devices offered by AT&T, is now available for $199.99 with a two-year contract.

Out of the current Windows Phone lineup, the Quantum is the only model to offer a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, so heavy e-mailers take note. It also has a 3.5-inch touch screen that you can use and comes equipped with a 1GHz processor, 16GB of internal memory, and a 5-megapixel camera, as well as DLNA support.

In addition to the Windows Phone 7 standards, LG is throwing in 10 free apps, including Workout Tracker, … Read more

We've tuned in when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer introduced the world to the LG Quantum (LG C900), one of a crop of nine smartphones to first run the Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system. We're happy to let you know it just got the FCC's kiss of approval, and just in time, too, for it to reach stores in time for holiday sales. Other notable models to become one step closer to reality include the Android-run LG Optimus One (P500H) and the Sonim XP1300, the latest cell phone in Sonim's ultrarugged line.

Because the FCC has … Read more

Qualcomm's Snapdragon silicon made a sweep of all of the Windows Phone 7 smartphones announced today, rendering the hardware from various manufacturers relatively homogeneous inside.

Against a backdrop of phone announcements from companies such as Samsung, HTC, and Dell, Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer posted a video today discussing the relationship between the two companies.

"Qualcomm and Microsoft have a long history of working together to optimize the mobile operating system for Qualcomm chips and platforms...We're excited to bring a new generation of Windows phones exclusively featuring Snapdragon mobile processors," Ballmer said.

"This really shows...what can happen when people bring together great software and great hardware," said Jacobs in the video.

But this collaboration also brings Windows PC-like hardware uniformity. Just as the PC world has the Windows operating system and Intel processors, this first crop of Windows Phone 7 smartphones feature a Microsoft OS and Qualcomm silicon.

"If all of them feature the same hardware (internal) and same operating system, what happens to the differentiation?" asked Ashok Kumar, managing director and analyst at Rodman & Renshaw. Other smartphone processor suppliers include Texas Instruments, Marvell Technology, and Samsung, who provide chips for Android and BlackBerry phones, among others.

And it remains to be seen if Windows Phone 7 devices can find a place in a very crowded market. "I think one of the biggest questions is what are the prospects of Windows Phone 7," said Kumar. "Most of the resources are targeted toward Apple and Android and then you have RIM and the QNX (operating system). There are many questions here, not least of which is what will the receptivity of the consumer be?" Kumar said.

Windows Phone 7 smartphones include the Dell Venue, HTC 7 Mozart, HTC 7 Trophy, HTC HD7, HTC Surround, HTC 7 Pro, LG Quantum, LG Optimus 7, Samsung Focus, and Samsung Omnia 7. Inside these products is Qualcomm's 1GHz application processor, a 3D graphics function, support for high-megapixel cameras, and the requisite 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity, among other functions..… Read more

As most of you have heard by now, Microsoft and AT&T took center stage in New York on Monday to officially launch Windows Phone 7.

Though handsets will launch with a variety of carriers, AT&T will soon offer three Windows Phone 7 handsets in the U.S.: the Samsung Focus, the HTC Surround, and the LG Quantum.

We got some brief hands-on time with all three phones from AT&T at the event, and you'll find first impressions, as well as some photos, below. In general, we were impressed with the hardware, and it's nice to see Microsoft and AT&T offering a variety of designs to ensure that there's a little something for everyone. … Read more

People are flocking to a new generation of smartphones with rich applications, high-powered Web browsers, and large touch screens. What those products lack, though, is a camera that's equally transformative.

A start-up called InVisage expects to change that for consumers next year with a new approach to digital camera image sensors. Its technology, called QuantumFilm, is four times more efficient at capturing light than traditional silicon-based image sensor chips, meaning the company's sensors will offer either higher sensitivity in low light or more megapixels in resolution.

"With a tiny smartphone 3-megapixel sensor, we could make that a … Read more